Finished books available
RIGHTS SOLD
US: Milkweed Editions, Spring 2007
Canada: Doubleday, Spring 2006
Italy: Piemme, March 2007
Spain: Alfaguara, Spring 2007
France: Editions Philippe Rey
Israel: Kinneret, 2007
Greece: Agyra, Fall 2007
Portugal: Quetzal
Portugal (book club edition): Circulo de Leitores
Brazil: Editora Planeta
About the author
Read an excerpt
See also www.anoshirani.com
"Evocative and colourful." — THE LONDON FREE PRESS
"Beautiful.... [It] vindicates the fragile but triumphant scope of childhood imagination with touching grace." — THE GLOBE AND MAIL
"[Chamdi’s] relentless struggle to survive makes him one of this year’s most unforgettable heroes." — EDMONTON JOURNAL
"With understated skill, Anosh Irani tells such a darkly enchanting story of the abandoned children of Bombay that I felt swept away by their fate and entangled in the world's too believable cruelty towards the innocent. Irani's shocking tale unfolds with a macabre and terrifying beauty that is both heartbreaking and compelling." — WAYSON CHOY, author of All That Matters and The Jade Peony
It is 1993 and Bombay is on the verge of being torn apart by religious violence. Ten-year-old Chamdi has rarely ventured outside his orphanage, and entertains an idyllic fantasy of what the city is like—a paradise he calls Kahunsha, “the city of no sadness.” But when he runs away to search for his long-lost father, he is thrust into the chaos of the streets, alone, possessing only the blood-stained cloth he was left in as a baby. There Chamdi meets Sumdi and Guddi, a brother and sister who beg in order to provide for their sick mother, and the three become fast friends.
Fuelled only by a desire to find his father and the dream that Bombay will someday become Kahunsha, Chamdi struggles for survival in its brutal streets. But when he is caught up in the beginnings of the savage violence that will soon engulf the city, his dreams confront reality.
Moving, poignant, and wonderfully rich in the sights and sounds of Bombay, The Song of Kahunsha is a compelling story of hopes and dreams, and of the fragility of childhood innocence.
"[Irani's] brilliant debut novel, The Cripple and His Talismans, radiates with the energy of Bombay, albeit a dark energy.... Irani commands attention from the first sentence." — THE GLOBE AND MAIL
"[The Cripple and His Talismans] is an impressive debut, a beautifully written modern-day fable about a man on a quest to find his missing arm." — THE OTTAWA CITIZEN
"[The Cripple and His Talismans] makes demands on the reader, but our effort is triply rewarded—first, by the lush imagery of the writing; second, because of its surprises and, finally, because of its deep moral gravity.... This debut novel marks a step in the evolution of Canadian literature." — THE VANCOUVER SUN
"Darkly comic and brave, this novel has no fear when it comes to facing the lepers, beggars, and prostitutes of the city. Irani seeks out territory that would frighten away other writers.... The book's sheer audacity and humour elevate it well above the level of most first novels." — QUILL & QUIRE
"A highly imaginative novel, full of humour, poetry, and insights, written in a beautiful, spare style. Throughout the narrative looms a great city, Bombay, crazily reflected in the life of one of its inhabitants who, by means baffling, heinous, desperate, and often very funny, seeks to embrace the divine with both arms." — YANN MARTEL, author of Life of Pi
(Photo: Tushna Shroff)
Anosh Irani was born and brought up in Bombay, India, and moved to Vancouver in 1998. He is the author of the acclaimed novels The Cripple and His Talismans and The Song of Kahunsha. His play Bombay Black was a 2006 Dora winner for Outstanding New Play. Anosh's first full-length play, The Matka King, premiered at the Arts Club Theatre Company, Vancouver, in October 2003.
